Redemption
by perihelia
Summary: Bree ran when she had the chance and escaped with Fred. Months later they're approached by Emmett and Rosalie and asked to fight with the Cullen's.
1. Escape

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. If I were Stephenie Meyer, I would _not_ be writing fan-fiction. **

**Chapter One: Escape**

_I turned and really ran for the trees, suddenly positive that Diego's presence here was just another of Riley's lies._

_And if Diego wasn't here, then he was already dead. This fell into place for me so easily that I thought I must have known the truth for a while. Since the moment that Diego had not followed Riley through the basement door. He'd already been gone. _

_I was a few feet into the trees when a force like a wrecking ball hit me from behind and threw me to the ground. An arm slipped under my chin. _

"_Please!" I sobbed. And I meant _please kill me fast.

_The arm hesitated. I didn't fight back, though my instincts were urging me to bite and claw and rip the enemy apart. The saner part of me knew that wasn't going to work. Riley had lied about these weak, older vampires, too, and we'd never had a chance. But even if I'd had a way to beat this one, I wouldn't have been able to move. Diego was gone, and that glaring fact killed the fight in me._

_Suddenly I was airborne. I crashed into a tree and crumpled to the ground._

I ran. I was still thinking about how Diego was _gone_, but I knew that I could never win this fight, so my survival instincts took over and now my body was running on autopilot. Turning my back on the other vampire was probably a stupid thing to do, but I used my strength to push myself faster.

I wasn't running in any particular direction but _away. _After I was sure that I could no longer hear the sounds of the battle, I stopped to get my bearings. Fred had said that he would wait for me in Vancouver. That he'd leave me a trail in Riley Park.

I was wondering if he really would wait for one day, when I realised that all the while I was running, I hadn't heard anyone tracking me. I thought that maybe, the other vampire had taken pity on my plight and let me go, but I soon laughed the thought off. It was far more plausible that he had been distracted by another one of us.

I started running north, and my thoughts turned to Fred — anything to keep them from focusing on Diego and Riley. I couldn't afford to be slowed down by grief or anger.

I thought about how Fred had been overlooked, underestimated. Diego and I had required some sort of trigger before we became suspicious of Riley and _Her. _Fred hadn't needed that. He'd sat quietly in the corner and come to all the right conclusions himself. And something told me that his plan to leave wasn't a recently developed idea.

As I thought of them, I realised that we had been losing that battle. Losing bad. I remembered Riley, lying to the end, and came to the conclusion that neither he, nor _Her _had ever had any intention of fighting: we'd been doing their dirty-work for them. I felt pissed. Really pissed. I thought of how much they'd both manipulated and used us and I saw a haze of red. It took all of my control not to try and hunt them down. It felt like I was tearing myself in two: on the one hand, I _really _wanted to rip them apart — exactly as they'd done to Diego. But on the other hand, I needed to find Fred. All I'd known in this short second life of mine, was the intricately tangled web of lies, manipulation and deceit that I'd been held captive in. Fred had never really been a part of that, yet he was still something familiar that I could hold on to. He'd help me deal, I knew that much.

I sincerely hoped that the dark-cloaks caught up to them. Riley, and our creator, that is. They deserved any death that they got, be it painful and slow, or sudden. I was rooting for slow and painful.

I'd been running for a while, now and I came to a stop. Tracking the girl had made me thirsty, and for the short amount of time while I'd been away from her scent I'd been able to distract myself from the thirst. But I couldn't ignore the burning any-more — Riley's teasing of 'dessert' had done that much to my limited self-control.

I took a deep breath and looked around at my immediate surroundings. I was surrounded by trees and green – apparently I was in a forest. Not surprising as this _was _ Washington. I looked at the ground. It was soggy, and covered in wet mud and leaves; my years-old, falling-apart Converse shoes were caked in them. I took them off and decided to run barefoot – it would be harder to tack me without them, anyway. The air was thin here... so I was apparently up a mountain, too. It was still daylight, so I couldn't exactly go looking for something to eat _(or should that be drink?)_ yet. The kind of people that Riley had taught us to feed off weren't the kind that came out during the day. I couldn't imagine feeding off a normal human being – one that wasn't part of the dregs of human civilisation. It'd be so unfair to take one of their lives, _they _ had opportunities, they were going somewhere, they deserved to keep their lives. The guilt would kill me. I don't think that I could live with myself.

So hunting would have to wait. I could put it off; I could wait; I just had to put it to the back of my mind, think about other things. If I believe it's easy, it will be. _Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. _I shook my head to clear the annoying voices out of it. I checked I was running in the right direction, and took off. It was weird how being a hunter now meant that I could do that easily. When I was human I could barely tell which way was north. I wouldn't have believed I was me, if I saw myself now. Though, that may be mostly because of the vampire thing.

By the time the sun was setting, I realised I had to find civilisation. I _needed _to feed. With that thought, the thirst came back full force and then some. It was all-consuming and raw. I could feel it like fire burning, the focal point in my throat, spreading through my chest – it was crippling and I had to stop all movements. It heightened my hunter senses, which I'd been dutifully ignoring because it would be difficult for me to hunt in the daylight. It wasn't long before I caught someone's scent. I could smell drugs and alcohol in their system. I tracked the scent to the back alley outside some run-down club. I found them bent over, leaning on the wall next to a pool of vomit. It was disgusting, but my mind didn't register that: the thirst took over.

I didn't stop with them. I drained about three others – more than I had in a while, as my self control was usually better. But Riley had teased us with the girl, and we hadn't fed before that. After I was done disposing of the bodies I set off once more for Vancouver.

oOo

This was it. I wasn't far now from Riley Park. I hope Fred waited like he said he would. He said he'd wait twenty four hours then leave a trail. It'd be better that I find him before the twenty four hours are up. I don't want to have to spend the beginning of my new life tracking Fred. I'd be alone. Of all the things I'd been in this short second life of mine, I'd never been alone. That was one of the main reasons I preferred it to being human – when I was human, I was nearly always alone. But I didn't _think _I needed to worry; I knew that I could count on Fred. Not quite like I could trust Diego, but I knew he was a friend; he wouldn't let me down. I stopped that line of thought almost instantly. Comparing Fred to Diego felt wrong, somehow, like I shouldn't be doing it. And the second I thought of Diego a sharp, searing pain shot through me, which made me pause. I shook my head to clear it, an old human habit of mine, and carried on.

As I'd gotten nearer, I'd slowed down to human speed; but as I started up again I caught Fred's scent. I couldn't help it: I ran at full vampire speed tracking it, first around the perimeter, then inside. First I'd followed his scent up a tree: he sat there for a while. Then I tracked it down and eventually caught sight of him. He was sitting alone on a bench. Practising his 'talent'. I never really know what to call it. But I could tell he was using it by the way that no one was around him. They just walked right on by, in a weird kind of arch, away from the bench like they didn't want to go anywhere near it. He was reading, with his eyes cast down, and the wind was blowing my scent away from him, so he hadn't noticed I was here, yet.

I walked over to him. I'd ever quite understood why I could get near Fred when he wanted to keep people away. I'd think about that later; I walked over to him, and as soon as I got in range of the 'gift' he was projecting he looked up from his book.

He looked a little surprised; I don't think he expected me to make it out of the battle ground alive. His eyes darted from me ad around the rest of our surroundings.

"Where's Diego?" He asked, his tone flat. He must have known and accepted the truth long before I had. So I just shook my head and sat down beside him.

It was awkward. Well, for me anyway. So we just sat there, watching the world go by. After a while it was less awkward, and when it was dark, Fred spoke.

"I didn't think that you'd make it out of there."

I looked at him, and realised I'd have to tell him about the rest of Riley's lies. I nodded, and said "It was close," thinking of the blonde, yellow-eyed vampire.

And so I told him of the strange blonde who let me go, and the epiphany I'd had moments before he'd caught me. This lead to the story about how Diego and I found out about the sun, and how we actually sparkled in the sun every day of the year. Fred nodded his head at this one; the lie Riley had told us wasn't very believable.

I spent hours just explaining everything I had discovered with Diego, and what our theories were. Fred had said that it didn't matter now; the yellow-eyes would win the fight and we'd escaped. The only thing we had to be wary of was the dark-cloaks.

That, really, had been the only shock for Fred. He, like me, would never have guessed that the supernatural would be governed by higher laws – laws higher than the unnamed redhead who controlled Riley and the rest of our coven.

When the sun began to appear over the horizon, the light caught in Fred's golden hair, and his skin glittered – just like mine and Diego's had, proving that Riley had lied. He must have noticed the light having the same affect on me, as he got up moved to the shade of the trees. He climbed the one I'd followed his scent through earlier, and sat on one the higher branches.

"So what do we do, now?" Was my question, as I seated myself on another branch that was level with his.

He looked at me and laughed, "Anything we want!"

I started laughing too, at the look of sheer joy on his face. Freedom was a foreign concept to us, Riley had kept us firmly under his strict control. We had that now. And as long as we avoided the dark-cloaks there would be nothing to stop us from doing whatever we feel like.

**This is my first Bree Tanner story, so R&R and tell me what you think. This will only be a short story – maybe ten chapters, or so. **


	2. A Taste of Freedom

**Disclaimer: see first chapter.**

**A/N: I'm so sorry, it's been ages since I posted the first chapter. That's probably not good enough, because it's been well over a year - almost two, and I know that I told some of you that I'd update when my exams were over, but I didn't, because real-life got in the way. And I'm sure you don't really want to hear it, so. **

**It's kind of a filler chapter, so not much happens. I'm also still trying to reacquaint myself with all the fandoms and characters so it's probably not very good, but at least you won't have to wait a year for the next chapter this time. And, finally, (just in case you didn't know) the stuff I put in about their lives before, and what happened to Bree's family; I didn't make that up, I got from the official guide to the twilight saga, which is actually written by Stephenie Meyer, and I thought it was interesting, so I stuck it in.**

**And thanks to those of you who favourited and reviewed even when it seemed like I'd never update.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: A Taste of Freedom<strong>

Fred and I didn't stop running for a long time. We decided to pass through Canada, but we avoided Washington. We didn't want to go back the way we came and go through the chaos we just escaped.

Nothing really happened in that time, but we just enjoyed the chance to live peacefully; a normal life. Well, as normal as it gets for a pair of vampires that look like walking disco-balls in the sun. We didn't really get the chance to learn more about our kind like we wanted to; others were surprisingly difficult to come across, and neither of us fancied getting in touch with the dark-cloaks. If the others didn't want to be found, they couldn't be found. So mostly we just wandered.

We stayed north, avoiding the south as June turned into July and the July days stretched to August; there were more chances of exposing ourselves and less time to hunt. I've never been especially restless, but even I hated it.

Worse still, was the longing for Diego. I missed my friend. It wasn't the painful, heartbroken mourning of a lover. We weren't nearly that close. I'd barely realised I was even attracted to him when he'd been killed. Before, I'd been focusing on survival and finding the next meal, I never had much time for boys. When I became a vampire it was the last thing I thought I'd have to think about. No, we didn't really have the chance to be anything more than friends, but I still wished that he had escaped with us. But he'd put his faith in Riley when he shouldn't have and Fred and I learned all we needed to from that. There was no one in our corner but us.

It was difficult, sometimes, living with Fred. You could tell he'd been alone all his life. Sometimes he could go for days at a time without even talking. I wasn't like that. I needed to talk to people. I'd always been shy, I suppose, and that didn't change, but I still needed company.

And sometimes I'd just look at him and the only things I'd notice were his differences to Diego. Fred is tall and fair, nothing at all like Diego. Diego was tall – but not quite as tall – leaner than Fred, and dark-haired with an olive complexion. He was more lively and outgoing, too. This was one of the reasons it was hard to live with Fred on his quiet days: it's when I missed Diego the most.

We travelled from place to place, never with any particular destination in mind, we just went where we wanted whenever we wanted. It felt good to have that freedom, as neither of us had really had it while we were alive. At least, we didn't have any particular destination until Fred decided he wanted to check up on his dad.

It didn't surprise me that he wanted to do that. About three months had passed since we escaped Riley's coven, and I'd learnt more about Fred in that time. He was raised by his dad, his parents divorced, he had three half brothers and sisters on his mom's side, he was a science nerd and he got in on scholarship to Stanford.

I never got the chance to learn these sorts of things about Diego. I would have learned them easily with Diego, but he wasn't Diego; he's Fred. And Fred isn't very expressive – finding this much out was like pulling teeth.

He was usually okay with just going along with what I wanted to do. It was me that decided when we hunted, where we stopped and how long for, so I didn't really know what to do when he insisted we go check up on his dad. 'Just to make sure he was okay', in Fred's words. I wasn't too sure about it and we'd go around in circles arguing about it day after day.

They usually started the same, with me pointing out that, while we never left hunting until the last minute, like Riley made us do, it was still fairly hard on us to keep in control around humans.

"It's easier if we've eaten right before." He used the same response, every time.

"Eas_ier, _not _easy _or_ risk-free!" _

He'd always get this pained expression on his face then. That tortured-soul expression that seemed to go with being a college student. He knew what was at stake. And I hated doing it but the guilt must be played if I want to win this fight.

"How do you think I'd feel if I ended up eating your dad for breakfast? How d'you think _you'd _feel?"

"But, it wouldn't... We'd be _careful_–"

"It_ might _happen_._" That was enough for me not to want to risk it and I wished it would be enough for him because every time we have this argument he wears me down a little bit. I'd been fighting him so long, I didn't want to cave now.

He folded his arms across his chest and kept a blank face when he looked down at me. I hated that he was always so composed, even when wee were arguing. I tried to copy him sometimes but I'd always end up with my eye twitching or something to give it away. It was twitching now 'cos I knew what he'd say next.

"We're around humans when we're hunting."

I threw my head back and growled at the ceiling. If we were still with Riley's coven it would have descended into a fistfight by now, and either Fred or I would have been ripped to shreds a few times. But Fred was all about control. We did _anything _to improve our control.

"That's different! We know that we're hunting, we go with the _intent_ of killing at least one and it's not like we keep them alive for long! It's like going vegetarian – before you do it you can go ages without eating bacon sandwiches but as soon as you swear off meat for good, that's all you wanna eat! Consciously avoiding it will just make the thirst worse." My voice has petered out by the time I'm finished. I'm so tired of this argument. It's days like this I just wish I could sleep.

He looks at me, considering, and I was suddenly aware that he was a good four years older than me. It made me feel childish and very silly for trying to tell him what to do.

"Then we won't do that. We'll hunt before, then hunt again after."

His arms are still crossed, face is still blank. He so rarely asks for anything or shows any emotions; he really won't give up on this.

So I stop arguing. I do nothing but nod my head.

He smiles. Not the shy grins he usually gives, but a full, real smile and it makes my chest tighten. I smile, too.

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><p>Fred was a whole lot happier after he knew his dad was okay. Not that he showed it much. But now that he knew his dad was grief-stricken, but otherwise in perfect health, I didn't have to endure any more bouts of nausea and revulsion whenever Fred didn't want me anywhere near him.<p>

Fred may have been happier, but I was not. Fred now knew what had happened to his family; _I _now knew what happened to his family. I didn't know what happened to my family. Not that there was one really. Just my dad. And I didn't even want that connection with him, he's why I ran away in the first place. There was just a thought, gnawing in the back of my head; a morbid curiosity that festered.

What would he do, now that he had no one to take out his anger on? Would he try it with someone else? Someone worse than him and get himself beat to death? He'd deserve it. Or maybe he'd try it on someone who knew someone and get himself arrested. He'd deserve that, too. Or what if nothing had happened. He was still holed up somewhere, pleased that he's finally rid of his useless daughter. Maybe I could kill him. If he was still around.

The thought flickered out of my head before I'd even finished thinking it.

No. _I _couldn't kill him. Humans didn't matter anymore, unless they were something to eat. I'd never been fussed about draining scumbags, but there was probably more alcohol than blood in _his_ veins. He's not worth the trouble of finding.

But was I declared missing? For someone to report you as missing you had to have someone to care. I sure as hell didn't.

Well, if I did they went to a lot of trouble making sure I didn't know about it. But it wouldn't hurt to know...

This was how I came to be standing outside a near-deserted library one muggy Thursday. I didn't _want_ to know. I just didn't want to _not_ know.

I carefully walked over, minding my pace. It didn't make much difference; I still moved too fast. It made the humans look twice, but they were naturally wary, so I wouldn't be disturbed. Good. It was strange, too, having to be extra careful with the furniture.

I opened the search engine and typed in 'Bree Tanner'. My eyes widened briefly as a couple of news articles came up. I clicked on the first and scrolled through it.

_A man from Idaho has been arrested for the murder of his wife and daughter. Julia Tanner had been missing for twelve years, and police found her remains buried in a desert while searching for evidence in an unrelated case. After identifying the woman and tracking down her husband, they discovered that their daughter, Bree Tanner, 16, was also missing. Karl Tanner, 39, was initially brought up on charges for the murder of his wife, but is now also suspected for the murder of his daughter. Police suspect that Bree Tanner met the same fate as her mother, though it may be possible that the girl's still alive as no body has yet been found. _

Not true. Couldn't be true – my mother left my dad when I was four. But skimming through the rest of the news features, I found they were just more of the same. Must have been true then. It did make some sort of twisted sense... and of course my dad would say she left him.

The unpleasant shock forced me into absolute stillness that only vampires could achieve. The humans started sending wary glances at me and I had Fred to get back to.

I logged off the computer and put library far behind me.

I'd left all that behind when I was turned. It was in the past, buried way down beneath Riley's coven and then at the bottom of the foggy human memories. None of it mattered now.

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><p><strong>AN: I had to think of names for Bree's parents, so I just picked random ones. And please excuse the crappy 'article' writing, I am not a journalist, as you can see. And sorry if her reaction seems anti-climatic; it seemed that way to me, but like I said, it's just a filler chapter. Next chapter is where Rose and Emmett catch up to them. **


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